Pragmatic Programmers: The Passionate Programmer - A Must Read

pragprog.com

5 points·kentf··6 comments

It strikes me as disingenuous that the first edition was called "My Job Went to India: 52 Ways To Save Your Job".

Being worried about losing your job doesn't seem to be related to being a passionate programmer (except probably negatively correlated, a lot of the time).

Check out the Podcast at http://podcasts.pragprog.com/2009-04/chad-fowler-on-the-pass...

He talks about how this one is different and how it focuses on the positive of keeping your job rather than desperate ways of loosing it.

Regardless Chad Fowler is a fantastic author and has a great story and message to share with the programming community.

While passion will not necessarily be at odds with utility, it seems from the "About" section that this book is all about utility: Deliberately choosing what skills to develop in order to be able to "market" and "sell" them more effectively.

Nothing wrong with that, but it has little or nothing to do with being a passionate programmer.

Yes and no, but you need to have passion to care that much. I find it hard to believe how many really smart people, lack passion in what they do. It's merely a means to an end. Passionate people enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

Hackers are not interested in a career, they are interested in building cool stuff.

I think building cool stuff, even on the side is a kind of career. It's just an unconventional one.

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